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Rakan zipped through the terrain as if he knew all the shortcuts, swerving through mountain paths that seemed unimaginable for an ordinary person.

He exclaimed, quite flabbergasted, “Wow! I can’t believe the weather is helping me out this much… it’s so easy to get around!”

“Weather?”

“This area has unpredictable weather that makes it tough to get anywhere quickly. I never thought it would be so sunny and nice!”

Must be some great luck working in his favor.

Before long, I arrived in Yulala alongside Rakan. This place, referred to as Yulala, was nothing but barren land, shrouded in gray mist. No matter how I looked around, I couldn’t see Uluru, the mighty red rock formation.

Rakan casually remarked, “The gates to Yulala only open when Uluru reveals itself during a solar eclipse. It’s not the right time now…”

But that’s not what I was hoping for. Come on, if it were all by the book, I wouldn’t even be attempting this Great Luck Overlap nonsense!

I crossed my arms, waiting for something to happen.

And then, out of nowhere—

WHOOSH!!!

The mist in front of me began to clear with a thunderous roar, revealing Uluru right in the middle of the plain. Rakan looked dumbfounded, staring at the sky, and then he freaked out.

“This is unbelievable! Stars have aligned and Venus has shown itself! The celestial energy is flooding down!”

He continued in a frenzy, “And to think the barrier that only opens during a solar eclipse would activate by coincidence! What a ridiculous twist of fate!”

To Rakan, a sage of the continent, this seemed like the tiniest of chances.

Haha!

But I was grinning, feeling like I had just won a gamble. Though it was a bit of a long shot, the power of Great Luck Overlap could even twist the probability of celestial events!

“T-The barrier has opened! O divine one, please enter!” Rakan stammered, astonished.

I dashed straight towards Uluru, but no matter how hard I looked, I couldn’t find an entrance.

“Hmm, should I ascend to the top?”

“That’s dangerous! This place is filled with mystical energy; you might get cursed…”

“I probably won’t!”

If I got cursed now, it would mean the Great Luck Overlap had ended. Trusting my luck, I activated the Soul Removal Technique, ascending above Uluru. I randomly picked a spot on the rocky surface and placed my hand there.

Vwoosh!

Suddenly, a bizarre dimensional door opened within the previously normal rock. It seemed I had defied astronomical odds to find the entrance in this massive rock spanning several li.

“Yes!”

I slipped inside the passage and recognized the familiar spiral staircase. After walking down it for a while, I spotted a glowing red altar.

In front of the altar stood a stele. I started reading it calmly.

“Descendant of the giants… you have summoned the Life Sea. Favored by the Yan Emperor… here, you shall face an eternal punishment… to defeat him is to follow the Law of Cause and Effect… challengers of the Seven Luminaries… silence the flames of destiny…”

Of course, I could read this stele. There were no parts that were blocked off.

The content was different from the other sealed places I encountered. Expecting a giant to emerge, I let my blood flow onto the altar to signify my challenge.

WHOOSH!!!

After a moment, a giant appeared, towering as tall as the altar. His body emitted divine flames, revealing the Guardian of the Fire Spirit.

The giant stared straight at me, wielding a gigantic sword. I was left pondering why I hadn’t noticed this colossal being from below. When I locked eyes with him, he opened his mouth.

[You, who are entwined with the fate of chaos and who came to the seal of the Seven Luminaries… I shall test if you are worthy of obtaining the Power of the Fire Spirit.]

“Who are you?”

[My name is Gong Gong, the Guardian of the Fire Spirit… the descendant of the Yan Emperor…]

Gong Gong!

I recognized that name from the Classic of Mountains and Seas. He was a being that once quarrelled with Nüwa and flooded the world with water after smashing a mountain with his forehead.

‘He’s probably incredibly strong… but…’

Suddenly, I felt overwhelming tension, reminiscent of the time I faced Izanagi no Mikoto. Strength-wise, we were likely on par, but unlike Nüwa, I didn’t sense the tremendous divine power that typically accompanied such beings. He could not be considered a presence of the Three Sovereigns.

Could it be that the myth has been distorted somehow?

‘Hmm… it’s still likely he’s beyond my capability.’

Even if he’s a faded giant, confronting him directly could only be a foolish choice!

Lost in thought, I shouted, “Gong Gong! I have a question!”

The giant, pausing before engaging in battle, didn’t seem like a foe I could take lightly, especially with that incredible energy surrounding his sword.

“What exactly are you Seven Luminaries Guardians? Why are you still protecting the Luminaries even into the age of falsehood, and who granted you that role?”

[…]

I raised my voice. “The Moon Sovereign, Izanagi no Mikoto, and you—why are you here? After all, you can’t use that without permission from the Three Sovereigns!”

Gong Gong stared at me with surprise, then replied.

[Do you know… the secrets of myths… the secrets of the Seven Luminaries… even the unsealing? Who exactly are you? Even the highest of celestial immortal beings cannot comprehend this… ]

“Please answer my question.”

[Hmm… what a conundrum you are…]

Gong Gong paused after stammering.

[…]

Silence hung thick in the air for an unbelievable amount of time. Then, as if struck by a capricious thought, Gong Gong finally spoke.

[I too do not understand… Whether your chaotic power is shaking the essence of my being… or if I simply wish to change the ending of the mythical age through you… ]

“So you’re saying you’re going to tell me?”

[What I can confirm is… that you are extraordinarily lucky…]

Could this also be a result of the Great Luck Overlap? Gong Gong opened his mouth again after a brief pause.

[The Guardians of the Seven Luminaries… were beings subdued by the Three Sovereigns in the past… divine beings… or legendary magical beasts and demon kings… ]

“Huh? What does that mean?”

[I lost my divine status and power in my war against the Emperor and was appointed as a gatekeeper… the being you referred to, Izanagi no Mikoto, is an avatar sent by the [Old Ruler] who governs the moon… and it was directly subdued and weakened by the Three Sovereigns so humanity could survive… originally, he was called a demon king.]

“…….!!”

[Our guardianship of the Seven Luminaries signifies that mankind will prosper under the protection of the Three Sovereigns until the end of time.]

Having said that, Gong Gong declared, “Now… fight me! To become the master of the Fire Spirit, you must meet the minimum qualifications!”

“Um…”

As the moment came to fight Gong Gong, I found myself in a dilemma. Although he was smaller than Izanagi no Mikoto, there was a strong feeling that starting a fight would unleash immense power. He probably hadn’t practiced human martial arts, yet my instinct as an expert warned me—once he started fighting, he could become just as formidable as Izanagi no Mikoto.

Gong Gong urged me, almost as if threatening me, “Come on, hurry up… or I’ll have to attack…”

And then it happened.

BOOM!!!

Countless meteors began to fall from the sky, raining destruction upon everything. They crashed violently into the ground where I stood, exerting monumental might and speed, decimating the area like thousands of bombs going off. I could recall the time I perished in the Imperial Palace, knowing I had little chance of survival.

[What on earth…]

A series of meteor explosions ensued as Gong Gong swung his massive sword. It seemed he wasn’t a pushover either, unleashing a cathedral of divine power to defend against the meteor shower. Watching the heavenly bodies raining down, I felt a sense of urgency.

‘Damn. Is my luck about to run out already?’

From past experiences, meteor showers symbolized my luck and usually indicated an upcoming backlash. At this rate, I would end up getting caught in the rain of destruction as well.

Yet I wasn’t like before. I shouted to Gong Gong, “Sorry, but I’ve got something I absolutely must take, so I’m gonna dodge out of here!”

[What did you say…]

“I’ll be right back!”

With a quick use of the Golden Lamp technique, I teleported to a remote mountain region in the Central Plains. I waited for about a meal’s time before heading back towards the Guardian of the Fire Spirit.

WHOOSH!!!

The ground shook violently from the destructive meteor shower, and I could feel tremors of an earthquake. In the distance, a volcano appeared ready to erupt. The aftermath of the natural calamity had left Uluru in ruins, and within the ruins, I found Gong Gong lying severely injured.

If even the spirit body of a giant had been hurt, the physical damage he endured must have been hundreds of times worse.

[Cough… the seal… has been maintained…]

I turned to Gong Gong and asked, “So, where’s the Fire Spirit?”

[What kind of… ridiculous luck…]

Gong Gong looked utterly flabbergasted. He seemed to be down for the count, having suffered significant wounds before he even got a chance to fight. Even a Guardian of the Fire Spirit would never expect to be beaten by meteors.

“Regardless, a win’s a win.”

[Hmm…]

Gong Gong, murmuring, trembled his finger towards the back of the ruins.

[Enter…]

WHAM!

The wall pointed to flipped over, revealing a door leading into a secret space. I recognized it as a surprisingly spacious Peach Garden, unlike the spaces of Xuyou or the Moon Sovereign.

Gulp!

This was definitely where the Power of the Fire Spirit lay! I stepped cautiously into the Peach Garden, unveiling a small altar where a red divine sword was sealed alongside its sheath.

“Ohhhh…!!”

Finally, finally!

I had obtained the Power of the Fire Spirit among the Seven Luminaries!

This spirit energy, this potent force of flames!

There was no doubt it was one of the Luminaries!

Just as I was about to reach out and grab the Power of the Fire Spirit, I heard a voice echo in my mind.

[The Great Luck has ended.]

“……”

I hesitated, and with a sinking feeling, I immediately tried to drop the Power of the Fire Spirit. But my hand wouldn’t budge.

Too late!

As I glanced down at the Power of the Fire Spirit with an uneasy expression, I suddenly felt an immense heat rising from my hand. The sensation was like fire melting my bones.

SIZZLE!

“Aaaaaargh!!”

The searing fire enveloping my body quickly escalated to the point where suppressing it with my internal power felt futile. If I didn’t act fast, I would be incinerated in mere moments! Thinking back to how my powerful internal energy could keep my body safe even when aflame thanks to protective techniques—it was evident that this heat held unfathomable power!

In that instant, a swift realization gripped my mind.

‘Damn it!’

I abandoned my attempts to protect myself with internal energy and muttered resignedly, “I have to… somehow handle the Force of the Fire Spirit…”

Unlike the water spirit technique, the Fire Spirit’s power seemed to have directly concentrated within the sword.

I ceased my protective barrier and lost consciousness after just three breaths.

When the pain finally faded, I realized.

This was my 20th death.

 

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